Britain raised taxes on the most polluting cars on Wednesday in an effort to entice drivers away from gas-guzzling vehicles which damage the environment. Finance minister Gordon Brown said in his 11th and probably last budget the excise duty on heavily polluting vehicles would rise to 300 pounds from 210 pounds in 2007 and again to 400 pounds in 2008.

The duty on more environmentally friendly cars such as the hybrid Toyota Prius was frozen at 30 pounds. Brown, who is expected to succeed Prime Minister Tony Blair in coming months, last raised vehicle excise duty in March 2006 but ignored pleas from environmentalists for a further hike in the pre-budget report in December. Britain's political parties have been vying for the environmental spotlight in part to tap into growing public concern about the dangers of climate change.
(Planet Ark, 22/03/2007)